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俄乌对峙引发欧洲能源担忧

Gas prices have risen in Europe over fears the standoff between Russia and Ukraine could result in disruptions to supply and possibly undermine the continent’s economic recovery. However, it’s not the first time such a dispute has hit Europe’s energy supplies -- and this time officials say they’re better prepared.

欧洲天然气价格上升，原因是人们担心俄罗斯和乌克兰之间的对峙会影响天然气供应，由此可能拖慢欧洲经济复苏的步伐。但这不是欧洲能源供应第一次受到这类冲突的影响，有关官员表示，他们现在比过去更有所准备。

Russia supplies around a quarter of Europe’s gas. Ukraine sits between them both, so any potential for regional conflict has a direct effect on this vital energy supply line.

俄罗斯提供欧洲所需天然气的大约四分之一。乌克兰处于俄罗斯和欧洲中间。因此，任何可能发生的地区冲突都将对这条至关重要的能源供应线产生直接影响。

“The prices have risen in the traded market over the past couple of days because of anxiety about the availability of gas over both the medium and the long term,” said Simon Pirani, a senior research fellow at Britain's Oxford¹ Institute for Energy Studies.

英国牛津能源研究所高级研究员西蒙·皮拉尼指出，“对中长期天然气供应的担心致使交易市场上的天然气价格在过去一两天呈上升趋势。”

Ukraine itself is highly reliant on Russian gas. The Russian firm Gazprom says that beginning next month, it will raise the cost of gas it sells over the border. The Ukrainian state-owned firm Naftogaz owes Gazprom around $2 billion.

乌克兰高度依赖俄罗斯天然气。俄罗斯天然气工业公司说，从下个月开始，将提高对乌克兰出口天然气的价格。乌克兰国营天然气公司欠俄罗斯天然气工业公司大约20亿美元。

The European Commissioner² for Energy, Gunther Oettinger, said Tuesday the EU would pay Ukraine’s gas bills, adding that there are no immediate³ concerns of shortages in Europe.

欧洲能源专员冈瑟·欧廷格星期二（3月4号）说，欧盟将替乌克兰支付天然气账单。他表示，欧洲眼下还不担心供应短缺：

“At the moment, in member states, the gas situation is good. We’ve had a mild winter, our storage capacity is fuller than it was last year and we’ve got reserves everywhere,” said Oettinger.

“目前，欧盟各成员国的天然气供应情况良好。今年是暖冬，我们的存货比去年充足，各国都有存货。”

In 2006 and in 2009, Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine over price disputes -- causing subsequent shortages in Europe. Cold winters and low stockpiles meant the gas price soared.

2006年和2009年，由于在价格问题上争执不下，俄罗斯切断了对乌克兰的天然气供应，导致欧洲出现天然气短缺。寒冬和储存不足引发天然气价格猛涨。

Europe is now less reliant on Ukraine as a transit⁴ route for Russian gas. The North Stream pipeline⁵, which was opened in 2011, takes gas directly under the Baltic Sea to Germany -- Russia’s biggest European customer.

欧洲现在不像过去那样高度依赖乌克兰作为进口俄罗斯天然气的中转国了。2011年11月开通的北溪管道可以使天然气经波罗的海海底直接送入俄罗斯最大的欧洲客户德国。

“There’s also been quite a lot of work done in central and eastern Europe as a result of the 2009 dispute when people realized that Russia-Ukraine disputes could have implications further down the pipeline,” said Pirani.

牛津能源研究所高级研究员西蒙·皮拉尼说：“2009年的冲突使人们意识到俄罗斯-乌克兰冲突会影响天然气管道的正常运作，因此中欧和东欧在这方面也都做了很多工作。”

That includes the South Stream project. President Vladimir Putin attended an on-site ceremony as the first pipes were welded together in 2012. The pipeline will run along the bottom of the Black Sea directly to southeast Europe. It’s due to come online in 2015 and reach its full capacity -- roughly half of Europe’s demand -- by 2018.

这其中包括穿越黑海海底的南溪项目。南溪管道计划于2015年开通，2018年满负荷运转，大约能满足欧洲需求的一半。

But hostility⁶ between Moscow and Europe is growing over Russia’s apparent troop deployment⁷ in Crimea, which Moscow denies.

然而，俄罗斯出兵克里米亚导致莫斯科和欧洲之间敌意不断加深。莫斯科否认出兵克里米亚。

The EU has threatened as-yet unspecified sanctions. So would Russia retaliate⁸ by turning off the gas taps to Europe? Unlikely, thinks Pirani.

欧盟威胁将采取尚未具体说明的制裁措施。那么，俄罗斯是否会把中断对欧天然气供应作为报复手段呢？皮拉尼认为这种可能性不大。

“Gazprom’s a commercial company, it has to make money, and it wants to deliver its gas to its customers in Europe,” said Pirani.

西蒙·皮拉尼说：“俄罗斯天然气工业公司是一个商业公司，必须赚钱，它希望向欧洲客户输送天然气。”

Analysts⁹ say the current tensions will likely make Europe redouble its efforts to find alternative energy supplies and cut its reliance on Russia.

分析人士认为，目前的紧张气氛可能会促使欧洲加倍努力寻找替代能源供应，减少对俄罗斯的依赖。